22 ammo shortage ?

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siloshooter

New member
i believe that the new standard for barter might be inching toward 22 ammunition .

what exactaly is driving up the price of this old standard round ? !
is it just that the demand for all other calibers has bled over to the 22 also ?

if i am not mistaken , i have read on line on some of the gun/ammo sale sites here in central indiana , 500 rds. is going for $50-$60 and UP !!

what is the deal in your area and how much should a guy be willing to spend ??

might it have a chance of coming down when the panic buying is passed ?
 
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hardworker

New member
Prices will come down. Theres no way the market can support $50 for a box of 22. When is anybody's guess. Probably in the next 6 months
 
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CajunBass

New member
Weren't you around about four years ago when the same thing happened and people were weeping, moaning and gnashing their teeth over the same issues?

The suppliers can't manufacture hoping for panic buying. They have to manufacture based on what they know to be "normal" conditions. When the demand suddenly outpaces the supply it takes a while to ramp up production to meet that demand. You have to look at maybe purchasing new equipment, hiring new people, ordering more raw materials.

BUT...you have to be careful. That demand can suddenly slack off just as quickly as it ramped up. You don't want to be caught with a warehouse full of inventory that you can't move, equipment you don't need, employees you'll have to find work for or lay off. It ain't just throwing a switch.
 
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siloshooter

New member
you bet ...

i WAS around ...!

still , it amazing to see how quickly the price can go up. i agree that the manufacturers are hard out to keep up . i also believe their is a danger in people paying way too much for some items , guns , gasoline , food or ?
AND like gas , it never quites come down to really reasonable levels again !

just look at the price at the pump ...... people get to see a price that is way too much to start , then when the gas does level off a bit , they think they are getting a bargain . all because not enough folks would restrict their consumpution when it was $4.00 a gallon when it should have been a lot less.... now $3.50 seems to be a fair price !
 
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Technosavant

New member
Last time it didn't seem like .22 was in demand near as much as it is now. It was mostly .223/5.56 and pistol calibers. Now, it's pretty much everything, but lesser emphasis on pistol calibers.

I know .22 is versatile and easy to stock up on, I just don't get why people are buying as much as they can get their hands on.
 
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CajunBass

New member
Yea. I remember that 22 sold out back then too. There was a constant stream of threads on all the boards about Wal-Mart being out of 22 ammo. People were camping there to buy it as soon as the truck came in. Then they'd take it to the gun show and double or triple their money. Same thing at my LGS really. Eventually retailers started to ration it to give more people a chance. Eventually the supply caught up with the demand and things cooled off.

It may have happened quicker this time because a lot of people remember the last time.
 
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Greguw

New member
Wally world seems to be hit and miss finding ammo in my area , my buddies wife works at one near me so I have resorted to having her text me when ammo comes in ... LOL
 
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ThomasT

New member
I remember a book I read many years ago was based on life after a nuclear war. And 22 ammo was one of the bartering items. Ammo is far more useful than a gold or silver coin.

In 2008 when the other ammo shortage happened I was worling a hail storm in Austin Tx. i would go to WM ever couple of days for supplies like ink and paper. I would check the ammo while I was there. If they had some of the bulk cartons I would buy a couple and then post the info on the gun forums so that anyone in the area could get a box or two.

Hopefully it will be the same and by April ammo will be back on the shelves again for those who have none. And don't buy all they have. let someone else have a chance at getting some. And then much later when the shelves full and the panic is over stock up and set back a reserve so when the next disaster hits you aren't caught short.
 
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shafter

New member
It's still available in the local gunshops here but the price has gone up. Recently I was able to get a brick for about $18. The going price for a brick now is pushing $30. It sells quick and most shops have a one box limit but it's still to be had. Fortunately I wasn't caught with my pants down....
 
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22-rimfire

New member
Gunshops have raised prices on 22 ammo because they can't get a reliable re-supply. It would be the same with gasoline if there was a real shortage unless their is governmental interferance in the markets.

The 22 shortage seems about the same as 4-years ago. It took months for supplies to begin to catch up and even then it sold quickly. People remember the trips to buy that the shelves were empty and hence buy more than they would normally buy. This goes for thousands of people. It will take a while for inventory to catch up. I suspect things will be close to normal by the summer. Prices shouldn't be any different at that point then they would have if supply chains kept up.
 
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TheNocturnus

New member
I wasn't in to guns 4 years ago and this is the first ammo shortage I have ever experienced. It just seems silly to me. There is not going to be any ban on ammo and it is made by the billions. Why grab every last bullet you can find when some of us just want a few boxes to shoot at the range.

Right now I only have about 200 rounds of .22lr and about 125 rounds of .45acp.
I'd love to have some more on hand but cannot find it thanks to the hoarders.

This is just stupid.
 
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BuckRub

Moderator
If all learned their lesson the last four years ago like you should have you should not need any ammo now. (Or the next 50 years).;)
 
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DaleA

New member
This is just stupid.
Click to expand...

While I try to figure out what to say some folk just say it better than I ever could.

I was at a Fleet Farm the other day (I'm in MN) and they had plenty of .38 special and .40 S&W (but they were out of 9mm) and I was pleased to see they had several 525 round boxes of Federal .22 on the shelf at $18. Which is about the price they sold it for a couple months ago.

When I did all my other shopping and was checking out I noticed the guy behind me was purchasing all the bulk Federal .22 that had been on the shelf.

Sigh.

I also witnessed the sale of the last Ruger LCP they had in stock. It was going for $290. Not a bad price! I don't think you can accuse Fleet Farm of gouging.
 
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9mm

New member
Walmart got a shipment in.

a few bulk packs of 12/20g value packs, tons of 17hmr and some winchester super x 22lr I believe.
 
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chiefr

New member
I had a grandfather that used to tell tales about the Great Depression of the 1930s. He had a large quantity of 22LR ammunition which he was able to trade for various necessities. He said it was worth its weight in gold.
 
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shafter

New member
Back in 2009 it was almost impossible to find pistol ammo such as 9mm, 38spl, 357 mag, and 45acp. Only 40's were readily available.

Nowadays the shelves are loaded with pistol ammo and its rifle ammo such as .223, 308 and 22 that is tough to find. I've been having good luck with the 22 ammo though, Federal bulk packs for $24.95 in the LGS today. Not a great price but better than what I'm hearing from other parts of the country.
 
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southjk

New member
Nowadays the shelves are loaded with pistol ammo and its rifle ammo such as .223, 308 and 22 that is tough to find.
Click to expand...

Where are you, shafter, that pistol ammo is plentiful? I need to make a road trip to wherever you are. I can't find 22lr, .40 or 9mm online or on the shelves.
 
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nixfix

New member
Both Dick's near me get regular shipments of 22LR. The trick is to find out when they get there, make friends with the guys, and call ahead. I have bought 22LR every week since the beginning of the week.

Example, today, I called at 9:30 and they said, yep, got a bunch of CCI bricks. I asked them to hold two, by the time I got there at 12:30, everything had been sold. The guy said "Yours are the only ones left in the building."

So, my point is, don't just look at the shelves, chat the guys up and call often.
 
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oldgunsmith

New member
BuckRub has the right idea. It blows my mind why one would wait for a panic to start worrying about how much ammo they have.
 
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